Means and method of filling cans with pressurized substances



Nov. 2, 1954 E. w. SMITH 2,693,418

MEANS AND METHOD OF FILLING CANS WITH PRESSURIZED SUBSTANCES Filed July11, 1951 75lbs. A ooms. 20 GAS C R E A M INVENTOR. E/ward W 5122 if]:

BY w;

United States Patent O 2,693,418 Patented Nov. 2, 195.4

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21E .mefliodiandmeanswhereby these desirableimprovements areaccomplishedcan best-be understood bythe following description and the drawingsattached hereto;

, In :therdmJWingsdTigut-e "l showsasystemnembodying MEANSAND METHODOFFILDINGJC 5 .thefeatures'rofthe: presentzinvention; 'Figurei shows-aPRESSURIZEDL' .2.

Edward W. Smith, Melrose Highlands; Mass, 7

Applichtioii JuI'ylI; IQSIQSeiIal N6. 2 3.6351.

10 elaimilr (Cl. @M'YQY The present 1 invention relates. :to the rfieldofpackaged foamed products and moreiparticularleto am-improvepackagedwhipped-cream may.-beobtained- =by fillingna suitable container with.thedesired .amountr-oftcreamnand thencharging.-the -.container =with-'agasisuehnas nitrous oxide, or a mixtureoftnitrous .oxide zand carbondioxide gas under pressures :of tapproximatelya l 00. poundspc! squareinch;

More recentlyacommerciahinterest-ihas been:attracted to thepossibilities :in the .so-calledesingle. trip .container for suchpackaging.oftwhippedwcream andaothen'similar materialsabecause. of its:greater applicability? to homeuse. The single trip containerwhichaisperhaps best adapted tothis purpose is an-.adaptationr of .thesteelabeer can coated on the inside .withlsome suitabletsamtar ymaterial such as-wax and fittedawithra rubber 'orplas-tlc dispensingvalve-attached to .the top,-;thelatter being/alinchedeto the top ofthecan with a-proper gasketv a I I One procedure whichhas been used: byi those'wskilled in the art is to mix the pasteurized creamlwithsugar-ia stabilizer, and I such flavoring as 1 may, be; desired, :after which7 or 8 ounces of this mix :is then filled into-the can and'thegasketed-metaltopin which thel valvehas-already been assembled: isthenclinched-xin placeeand thetz c'an passed to a gassingequipmentfcf'iilling with thezrequ site amount-of g'aspor mixture ofgasses-flaslmay desired. Following the. gassing operation the-icontainenis'subjeeted to a violent shaking operation forca period=of .30:.toti0:

seconds to incorporate the gas into the cream since without it theabsonptipn rate is extremely-slow It will be noted from the above thatsuch a procedure involves four" steps; namely,- fi'llingycappirrg',gassing, and agitation. It will further be notede'that the equipmentrequired for such a series of operationsirs rather c'omplicatedybulky,and expensive. Furthermore the tfauiyextensive period of agitationrequiredpnot only reducesthe capacity Of-1116 production linebut-theagitationirtselficis a rather haphazard method of attaining-thedesired.=degr ee 1 and uniformity of absorption of the gas; Not :only isthe cost of the equipment required for such packag ng prohibitive to any"but -large' pl'ants--*but;-"1 n addition, the handlingof separatecans-and tops- ,.previous.to; the capping. operation. is .not conducivetozsanitany .filling...gnd

further the dispensed product does not have'thc desired smoothness andtexture.

It has been established that a thorough and uniform mixing of the creamor other fat containing mixture to be dispensed, with the gasses used isessent al to a satlsfactory product. Such intimate mixing of the gaswith the liquid can best be obtained by arranging that the volume ofliquid involved should present the maximum area to the gas as underthese conditions the absorption is greatly facilitated. While violentshaking will 1n time succeed in achieving the desired absorption theincreased llquid area presented to the gas by this means is relativelysmall and moreover requires elaborate machinery for supplying theagitation.

In the present invention not only are two of the abovc mentioned foursteps eliminated, insofar as the packager is concerned, i. e. thecapping and agitation, but in addition the remaining two steps, i. e.the filling and gassing are in effect combined into one operationthereby materially reducing the time and equipment required. The

detailaofav the: system shown in Figure 1; :and: Figure .3 shows afurther modification of the system-ofFig'urel.

Referring-to 'Figu'rell, :1 is thencon-tainercto 'berfille'tl wh-ich hasalreadyi-beenefitted:with atheznecessary. cap I20 andwalve =atthe.timertheicontainenis manufactured; J The cap =20may be fiat-ordished as shown to cause ibetter dispersionwas willbe explained. later.The "valve is simply a known form of rubber grommet fitted 'sintthecap.:and consistingpf aa shortlengthrof rubber :tub'e con- :taining 53pertorable-1selfi-sealingx: liaphragnr.and form's noqp'art-of-athepresent invention The gas to be used in pressurizing theicontainerpasses from the tanlczii, througha reducing valve 4, and. pipe 5, to 'a;twoway valve 6. 7 Leading from walve'fi is a: special type; ofhypodermic needley'l; which will" be: described in more detailsshontlyand-:which is adaptedrto-"pier'ce the diaphragmvin valve z. vA second.tank r8 holds a: supply of thencreaml or cream-like mixture to beiuse'dto fill the container 1 andvleadsthrough pipe 9 toithe :other en- .ztranceto' (the two-way valve '6.

Turning now-to Figured which.shows-an enlarged view of ttherneedlefl, itwill betnotedtthat it is fittedwith a point .10'7fid3PtCditD"pierceuthes diaphragmnf :valve 2. It willralsmbecnotcdtthat.:egress ofthe liquid from the needle is accomplished via holes 11 disposedraround'the periphery :andrthat under pressure :the "liquid: in emerging isthrown backward from vtheztpoint :10 1 against the cap 1% .ofshercani-bytwhieh .it is reflected down into the can.

The'sproeedurcrofefiltingrand gassing the container is as followszrThecontainerv to befilledis brought into positions-under needle 7 and the 3point 10 of the-latten-is forced:through thei'rubber: diaphragm in valve2. Va'lv'e 6 is nowsturzwd to 'sucha positionthat'gas line'5 isconnected to needle 7 thereby allowing gas to pass through {needle l .7.and fillzthe-can. withzgas to 'the 'desired pressure, let: :us -.say.175; pounds 2 per square inch. 3 As "soon as t-his pressure. has. been:attainedwhich occursi almost instantly the twoway-va-lvefi mayithenbelturned to its other position to eonnectmeedlefl to pipe19' and-allowcream from tanks-8, whichahas previously :beeni'pressuriz'ed -to saylOOpounds per'square. inchgzto allows to their'ree'dle'.v Since/thepressurein-itanlc i8 is higher. .thanstheugas. pressure in the gasfilled'i container in 1.6111 :illustratio'ni: 100 pounds :per squareinch against pounds per square inch,: -the"dit- .ference;Olii25.-.POIII1dS apensquareinchiis available to forcethezcre'amthrou-gh needle 7 and out through' op'entu s-:11 whence .it ispropelled at .high velocity against the topc-and/or-uppe'r sidesvofzthe' 'container l gradually filling it to.theudes'ire'd ilevf'el Theflow of cre'am may .then. be-s-rcut-zofi,"ineedle=.7 withdrawn-from thecontainer, and the package of cream is theniready foriu'se -withoutthenceessity. for :anyragitation;

By propelling the? cream into. the already fpressurized containens-at.ihighsrvelocityithe incomingxcream is pre .sentedito'ithecgas'zin therform of a thin -film trickling to the bottom down thelsides of thetcan,or-if the velocity is highgenough; lilheffolm' :of shattered:d-ropl'ets" so that theinatiofof ifstareakbo itssvolumei isenormously-increased thereby creating a condition conducive to rapid gasabsorption without the necessity for prolonged agitation which wouldotherwise be necessary.

While it might appear that filling a can with say 8 ounces of cream inthis manner might be a slow process, this is not actually the case.Using a hypodermic needle with an outside diameter of .082 inch and withthe two holes 11 having a diameter of .038 inch it has been found thatit is easily possible to fill 8 ounces of cream into the can in 30seconds. The total time required for the whole operation includinggassing, filling, etc. need not exceed one minute. Thus with an array often needles operated simultaneously, as is. easily possible, a capacityof 600 cans per hour is readily obtainable with a negligible amount ofequipment.

Since one of the objects of the invention is to present as large aspossible a surface area of the cream to the gas, an alternative methodwhich may be used is to utilize a special type of needle such as isillustrated in Figure 3. In this case the needle consists of an outertube 12 concentric with and surrounding a somewhat smaller tube 13 whichis connected via tube 14, valve 15, and tube 16 to tank 17 holding asupply of the cream. Similarly the outer tube 12 is connected throughreducing valve 13 and tube 19 to tank 20 containing the gas supply.

Using this method of filling, the needle is inserted into the interiorof the can through the self sealing rubber diaphragm after which the gasand cream flow in simultaneously, the cream being drawn from the supplyby the aspirator action of the gas flowing by the tipof tube 13. Byproper adjustment of the rate of flow of each of the two componentsgoing into the container the attainment of the desired gas pressure inthe can may be made coincident with the filling of the desired amount ofcream.

Other types of needles may be used, the chief criterion being todisperse the particles in such a way that a large area is exposed to gasabsorption so that the mixing is quick and thorough.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. A method of filling a can with pressurized cream for the productionof whipped cream which comprises first filling the can with gascompatible with the cream for the whipping thereof to a pressure ofabout seventyfive (75) pounds per square inch, then forcing into thecan, in a thin stream dispensible in droplets, the cream under apressure of about one hundred (100) pounds per square inch until theamount necessary to substantially fill the can has been forced thereinand then withdrawing said higher pressure and then closing a sealingclosure to seal the can through the opening where the stream enters.

2. A method of filling a can having a self sealing closure withpressurized substances foamable upon dispensing therefrom whichcomprises first filling the can through the closure with gas to apressure substantially above atmospheric pressure, then forcing thesubstance to be dispensed in a thin stream presenting a large area tosaid gas into the can through the closure until the amount necessary tosubstantially fill the can has been forced therein.

3. A system for filling an enclosed can having a self sealing valve withgas and cream or the like under pressure, comprising separate sources ofgas and cream, means for causing the gas to flow into the can throughthe self sealing valve to build up a pressure therein above atmosphericand means for changing the flow to cause the cream to flow into the canunder the pressure built up therein, both said means including a hollowneedle piercing the self sealing valve through which said gas and creamflow.

4. In a system for filling an enclosed can having a self sealing valvewith gas and cream or the like under pressure, a line of flow for thegas and cream, comprising a hypodermic needle having a closed pointedend and a plurality of side outlets just behind the closed end, saidoutlets being directed outwards and backwards of the shank of thisneedle.

5. In a system for filling an enclosed can having a self sealing valvewith gas and cream or the like under pressure, a hypodermic needlepiercing the self sealing valve and extending into the can, saidhypodermic needle having a closed with outlet openings just behind theclosed end having means providing directed passages with outletsdirected upwards and outwards against the inside top of the can wherebythe cream particles will become "'dispersed" in the gas.

6. A system for filling an enclosed can having a self sealing valve withgas and cream or the like under pressure, comprising separate sources ofgas and cream, means for aspirating the cream into the can whileapplying gas pressure including a hypodermic needle having a passage forthe flow of cream and a passage for the flow of gas adjacent thereto todraw the cream into the can conduit means for connecting the passages ofsaid needle to said sources, and means for separately regulating theflow of the gas and cream.

7. In a system for filling an enclosed can having a self sealing valvewith gas and cream or the like under pressure, a hypodermic needlepiercing the self sealing valve ,and extending into the can, saidhypodermic needle having a passage for the flow of cream with an outletand an adjacent passage for the flow gas extending across the creamoutlet for drawing the cream through said outlet and a second outlet forthe flow of both gas and cream'mixed having an aspirating reduction atsaid outlet.

8; In a system for filling an enclosed can having a self sealing valvewith gas and cream or the like under pressure, said can a hypodermicneedle piercing the self sealing valve and extending into the can, saidhypodermic needle having a closed with outlet openings just behind theclosed end having means providing directed passages with outletsdirected upwards and outwards against the inside top of the can wherebythe cream particles will become dispersed in the gas, said top of thecan having a convex surface of the inside.

9. A method of filling a container with liquid under pressure whichcomprises first sealing the container with an air seal then inserting aneedle through the seal and forcing into the'container under pressureabove atmosphenc the gas to a substantial pressure and then forcing intothe container through the same passage, the liquid under a higherpressure than the pressure in the container until an amount necessary tosubstantially fill the container of liquid has been forced into thecontainer and thereafter withdrawing the needle thus permitting the sealto seal itself.

10. A method of filling a container having a self sealing closuretherefor with liquid which is already filled With gas to a substantialpressure above atmospheric which comprises forcing into the containerthrough said closure in a thin stream dispersible in droplets, theliquid under a higher'pressure than the gas until an amount of liquidsufficient to substantially fill the container has been forced into thecontainer.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHERREFERENCES A course in General Chemistry, by McPherson and Henderson,copyright 1913-1915, page 256 only. (Copy in Div. 35.)

1. A METHOD OF FILLING A CAN WITH PRESSURIZED CREAM FOR THE PRODUCTIONOF WHIPPED CREAM WHICH COMPRISES FIRST FITTING THE CAN WITH GASCOMPATIBLE WITH THE CREAM FOR THE WHIPPING THEREOF TO A PRESSURE OFABOUT SEVENTYFIVE (75) POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH, THEN FORCING INTO THECAN, IN A THIN STREAM DISPENSIBLE IN DROPLETS,THE CREAM UNDER A PRESSUREOF ABOUT ONE HUNDRED (100) POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH UNTIL THE AMOUNTNECESSARY TO SUBSTANTIALLY FILL THE CAN HAS BEEN FORCED THEREIN AND THENWITHDRAWING SAID HIGHER PRESSURE AND THEN CLOSING A SEALING CLOSURE TOSEAL THE CAN THROUGH THE OPENING WHERE THE STREAM ENTERS.